People often bring children to me to get help for “handwriting” but they really need much more.
When a child struggles with handwriting, it is usually a symptom of an underlying problem. The first task is to evaluate the child individually to find the cause.
Poor handwriting may be the symptom of a larger problem
There are two major areas that need evaluation when children are struggling with handwriting:
Fine-motor skills
Visual-motor skills
These two components are vital to the long-term success of children in school and are critical for more than just handwriting.
Start with a 14-point fine-motor skills evaluation
Each one of the 14-different fine motor skills plays a critical role when it comes to learning and handwriting.
For example, if a child presses too hard or too lightly when writing, we know that the arches of their hands are not fully developed.
If a child flexes their wrist when writing, they do not have good wrist stability. Children with this challenge are actually losing 30%-40% of their muscle strength and coordination, which greatly affects their ability to write.
A child’s hand must be well coordinated before it can skillfully manipulate a “tool” such as a pencil. In other words, you can’t put the cart before the horse.
Fine-motor skills lay the foundation for an efficient pencil grip and ultimately, legible handwriting.
Linda Lamme, a Professor at the University of Florida’s College of Education, outlined six specific prerequisites for handwriting. The top two listed are small muscle development and eye-hand coordination.
Visual-motor skills are equally as important when it comes to handwriting and learning
Vision is more than 20/20 eyesight. “Sight” refers to a person’s ability to see clearly at near and far distances.
“Vision” is the ability to interpret and understand information that comes through the eyes.
According to Mary McMains, O.D., M.Ed., F.C.O.V.D., “The visual system is a significant part of how we process information and a key factor in how we learn”.
“Eighty percent of what you perceive, comprehend and remember depends on the efficiency of the visual system.”
Screening for visual tracking and convergence insufficiencies of the eyes (using both eyes to move, align, fixate and focus as a team) are two simple ways you can identify red flags.
Once identified, significant fine-motor skill problems can be further assessed with an in-depth evaluation by a specialist.
Fine-motor and visual-motor skills are vital when it comes to academic success
If these skills are not developed early it is easy to see how difficult and energy consuming it is for a child to perform well in a classroom setting.
Children who have motor skill challenges have to put forth an enormous amount of energy to accomplish the same tasks that take other children a fraction of the concentration and effort.
The great news is that there is help for children who are struggling.
The first step is to get an evaluation by an occupational therapist that specializes specifically in fine-motor skill development related to handwriting. The best option is to find an expert that is knowledgeable in both fine-motor and visual-motor skill development in children.
They can recommend a treatment plan to help develop the necessary skills to build a child’s confidence and help them achieve a lifetime of academic success.
Featured Author: Megan Eldridge
Megan is a licensed Occupational Therapist (OTR/L), has a Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy (MOT) with a pediatric specialty and is a specialist in fine motor skill development for children 4 – 12, focusing on improving handwriting as the foundation for educational success.
Megan has been a featured speaker on childhood fine motor development and handwriting improvement for educational groups, State conferences as well as teaching other Occupational Therapists her methods.
Handwriting was a subject that I didn't believe I had time to teach. As a teacher of students with behavior disorders and learning disabilities, I felt more responsible for teaching the basic skills. I did not have time to "do" handwriting.
Then last year another teacher in my building told me about the Handwriting Club she had conducted at a school where she previously taught. The club met for a few weeks with the teacher and the occupational therapist (OT) and incorporated sensory activities with handwriting instruction. I was interested because I had begun working on some sensory integration activities using the How Does Your Engine Run? program with my students with behavior disorders. Handwriting Club sounded like a great way to combine sensory integration and handwriting.
In Sensory Integration and the Child, A. Jean Ayres, PhD, OTR, FAOTA, wrote,
Sensory integration is the organization of sensation for use. Our senses give us information about the physical conditions around us. Sensations flow into the brain like streams flowing into a lake. Countless bits of sensory information enter our brain at every moment, not only from our eyes and ears, but also from every place in our bodies. The brain must organize all of these sensations if a person is to move and learn and behave normally.
The brain locates, sorts, and orders sensations – somewhat as a traffic policeman directs moving cars. When sensations flow in a well-organized or integrated manner, the brain can use those sensations to form perceptions, behaviors, and learning. When the flow of sensations is disorganized, life can be like a rush-hour traffic jam.
The seven sensory systems that deliver this flow of information are:
tactile
vestibular
proprioceptive
olfactory
visual
auditory, and
gustatory
Ayres described the sensory inputs and end products in her chart entitled, "The Senses, Integration of Their Inputs, and Their End Products." The integration of the auditory and vestibular senses results in speech and language. The integration of vestibular and proprioceptive senses results in eye movements, posture, balance, muscle tone, and gravitational security. Body perception, coordination of two sides of the body, motor planning, activity level, attention span, and emotional stability result from the integration of vestibular, proprioceptive, and tactile senses. The vestibular, proprioceptive, tactile, and visual senses result in eye-hand coordination, visual perception, and purposeful activity. All of the senses together are required for the end products – concentration, organization, self-esteem, self-control, self-confidence, academic learning, abstract thought and reasoning, and specialization of each side of the body and the brain (Ayres, 1979).
Handwriting is a very complex skill that requires many of these systems to work well together. Dobbie and Askov described the processes necessary for handwriting:
visual, auditory, and visuomotor perception;
gross and fine motor coordination;
directionality;
sequencing skills;
recall;
letter knowledge;
tool hold;
lines;
sitting and paper position;
cursive script;
tracing and copying;
joining letters;
self-evaluation; and
numerals.
Our district OT found that students with difficulties in sensory processing, sensory awareness, and/or perceptual skills usually have handwriting problems. For example, a student with proprioceptive problems may hold the pencil too tight and push too hard while writing. Our premise for the Handwriting Club was that combining sensory activities with direct instruction in handwriting would be an effective way to address both areas.
Handwriting club format
The students we chose for the Handwriting Club were all third- and fourth-grade boys who had handwriting and social skill deficits. They had special education labels of learning disabilities, other health impaired (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), or behavior disordered.
Our goals were to
improve students' cursive handwriting skills,
improve their abilities to work with peers in a somewhat loosely structured and stimulating situation, and
help teach them to identify some of their own individual sensory needs and strategies in order to address those needs.
Most club meetings followed the same basic format. We designed Handwriting Club activities to address all seven of the sensory areas, but we didn't have the students engage in every activity at every club meeting.
Our first club meeting was an informational one to tell the students about the club and our goals. Because these were all students who hated writing, they were not enthusiastic about a club just for writing. We made participation voluntary, however, and described the club so that it sounded somewhat like a privilege.
The students were responsible for designing the club rules, which they wrote and we saved as a preintervention writing sample. We also made a chart of the rules to post at each meeting.
The biggest selling point for the boys was choosing a name for the club and designing a logo for the T-shirts they would get after they had proven themselves to be serious Handwriting Club members. All of our candidates agreed to join the club. They voted to call themselves "The Pythons" and agreed on the logo for their shirts.
We met twice a week from October through early May. Each club meeting usually lasted 30 minutes, which really wasn't quite long enough. Forty-five minutes would have been ideal. We started each meeting with some gross motor activities, such as jumping jacks, yoga poses, or chair push-ups, to warm up. Next, the students did fine motor warm-ups, like squeezing a foam ball or shaping clay, before one of the teachers introduced the letter to be taught. We used the "Handwriting Without Tears" system as recommended by our OT. It uses only two writing lines, which is visually less complicated for students.
This is helpful for students with figure-ground deficits. It also uses a vertical (not slanted) writing style for cursive handwriting. Some research has supported that using the vertical style aids significantly in the legibility of students' handwriting. The students then participated in a variety of guided practice activities before finally writing in the actual handwriting book. They were relieved to discover that the Handwriting Club consisted of 20 to 25 minutes of "other" activities and only about 5 to 10 minutes of real paper and pencil work. The final stage of the club meeting entailed independent practice or homework (see Figure 1).
Typical Club Session Format and Sample Activities
Gross Motor Warm-up Activities (5 minutes)
Do jumping jacks
Do crab walk
Perform push ups on floor
Chair push-ups
Seated student places hands on either side of chair next to thighs.
Straightens arms and lifts bottom off the chair
Balance on one leg with eyes closed
Walk toe-to-heel on a masking tape line on the floor
Fine Motor Warm-up Activities (5-10 minutes)
Rub hands together
Squeeze tennis balls
Rub hands in circles on the carpet
Play with Wikki Stix
Build with small Lego blocks
String small beads
Roll clay between fingers
"Walk" fingers up and down the pencil
Letter Introduction (2-3 minutes)
The teacher models writing the letter on the board and describes the steps.
The students imitate by writing in the air using large arm movements and repeating steps aloud.
The students then continue to say the steps while writing on the table with pointer finger.
Guided Practice Activities (10 minutes)
Write on board (white or chalk) while wearing wrist weights.
Write on another student's back and have him or her guess the letter.
Write with:
Color change markers
Scented markers
Magna Doodle™
Battery-operated pens
Paint Chalk on sidewalk
Finger paint
Pudding
Shaving cream
Write in:
Clay tray
Salt, rice, or sand tray
Semi-independent Practice (5-10 minutes)
Students write in their handwriting books with teachers monitoring
Independent Practice Homework
Additional Activities
Writing for a purpose (i.e., make holiday cards or write thank-you notes)
Figure 1. Typical handwriting club activities. Choose 2 to 3 activities from 1, 2, and 4; complete all steps from 3, 5, and 6.
Social skills
Social skills were addressed as the situations demanded. The guided practice activities were set up as "stations," which required students to rotate through and take turns. One adult was at each station to provide assistance. Some equipment was highly desired, such as the Wiggle Pen (a battery-operated pen that rapidly vibrates when activated). Students had to learn to delay access to it and also to not keep using it longer than appropriate.
Students had to be able to use exciting materials, like shaving cream, without getting out of control (students squirt it on their desk areas, smooth it out, and use their index fingers to practice forming letters). They also had to learn to participate in activities that they didn't want to do at times (some of them didn't like the gross motor activities). They needed to be able to ask appropriately for what they wanted or needed from teachers and peers. (Several of the students had typically acted out under such circumstances in the past.)
One rule was that only students who could follow directions were able to be Handwriting Club participants. Noncompliant students were sent to the other resource classroom. This was not a punitive action. These particular students were always asked to leave with great empathy from the adults because we genuinely realized (and let the student know) that the demands of the Handwriting Club at that time were "too much" for the student and that he would probably get in trouble if he stayed in the room during the activities. Students were encouraged to return as soon as they had regained control of themselves.
T-shirts were not given out until we had several successful (in which no one had to leave the room) club meetings. That was motivating for the boys; we told them that the shirts were only for the very serious handwriters and that we had to make sure that no one was going to drop out before we awarded T-shirts to the group.
Handwriting strategies physical strategies
It is important for students to learn correct posture when writing. Chair height should be adjusted to fit the desk or table height. The table or desk should be at the student's chest level, and elbows should be able to rest comfortably on top. The student needs to have his or her back against the back of the chair and feet on the floor. Knees, hips, and ankles should be at a 90-degree angle. Some chair legs were fitted with tennis balls (make a 3-inch slice in the ball and squeeze to slide over chair leg) on catty-corner legs to allow the chairs to rock slightly. Padded seats were placed on some chairs.
Occasionally students were allowed to take turns sitting on a large therapy ball instead of a chair. These strategies address the theory that rocking and swaying are calming activities. A slant board was also available for students who chose to use it.
External stimulants
Relaxation music was sometimes played in the background to help integrate the auditory system, and self-talk during writing practice was also used as an auditory system strategy. Dobbie and Askov (1995) found that students trained with perceptual prompts and verbalization of stroke sequence perform better than students who simply copy models.
Using scented markers while practicing may help students to remember the letter formation because the olfactory system has neuronal connections to the memory system. The students especially enjoyed the gustatory system activities. We provided hard candy, gum, Twizzlers™, and straws to have students assess if keeping their mouths busy helped concentration. Tear Jerkers™, Pop Rocks™, and Warheads™ were used to provide extremes in oral sensations. Kranowitz (1998) recommended chewing and sucking activities as calming or organizational sensory activities.
Equipment that helps with proprioception are wrist weights, Wiggle Pens, and a weighted pencil holder. Some students needed help with their tripod grasp. Pencils were marked with dots to indicate where the fingers should be placed, or sometimes commercial pencil grippers were used. Balancing exercises were used to integrate the vestibular system. Most other activities used were designed for integration of the visual and tactile sensory systems (see Figure 1). Some students found that using Right Line™ paper, which has raised green lines, was helpful. It is ideal for helping students stay within the lines because it provides both visual and tactile cues.
Conclusion
I now realize that handwriting is a more important skill than I had previously believed. Our students' inability to communicate legibly puts them at a disadvantage in several ways. Unreadable academic assignments, even though they may be accurate, often result in poorer grades due to negative teacher bias. Employers are also biased against job applications that are messy and illegible. Finally, personal handwritten correspondence will be a struggle for these students. 1 found that it is not realistic and productive to take the time to teach this skill directly.
Research has not been clear in supporting sensory integration. The activities are hypothesized to work through influencing brain organization and, consequently, result in brain change. Brain change is not directly observable, so it is difficult to conclude that a sensory activity has changed the brain simply because a child performed the activity. Instead, it could perhaps be inferred that a change has occurred if a directly observable change has occurred in the child's performance. We are certainly unable to conclude that we made significant brain changes in these students; however, there were obvious differences in performance that may have resulted at least in part from the sensory integration activities.
The Handwriting Club met the goals that we set. The students did improve their cursive writing skills, social skills were practiced and improved upon at each club meeting, and the students learned which sensory activities seemed to help them focus and self-regulate themselves. Additionally, because of their success, they felt more confident in their handwriting abilities.
Melissa Keller, MS, is a behavior specialist for the Gardner Edgerton school district in Gardner, Kansas. She earned her MS from the University of Kansas and has begun work in the special education doctoral program. She wants to give special thanks to her Handwriting Club co-teacher Anna Friend, who first thought of the idea, and also to occupational therapist Lisa Mayer for her assistance.
References
Click the "References" link above to hide these references.
Ayres, A. J. (1979). Sensory integration and the child. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.
Behavior Intervention Support Team. (1996). Saying no to acting out, defiance, and violence in your schools. Kansas City, MO: Ozanam Home.
Cermak, S. A., & Henderson, A. (1989). The efficacy of sensory integration procedures. Sensory Integration Quarterly Newsletter, XVII, (4).
Cermak, S. A., & Henderson, A. (1990). The efficacy of sensory integration procedures. Sensory Integration Quarterly Newsletter, XVIII, (1).
Clark-Wentz, J. (1997, October). Improving students' handwriting. Occupational Therapy Practice, 2 9-3.
Dobie, L., & Askoy, E. N. (1995). Progress of handwriting research in the 1980s and future prospects. Journal of Educational Research, 88, 339-351.
ERIC Digest. (1997). Six questions educators should ask before choosing a handwriting program. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 409 589)
Fay, J., & Funk, D. (1995). Teaching with love and logic. Golden, CO: Love and Logic Press.
Greenland, R., & Polloway, A. (1994). Handwriting and students with disabilities: Overcoming first impressions. Position paper. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 378 757)
Kranowitz, C. S. (1998). The out-of-sync child. New York: Berkley.
Williams, M. S., & Shellenberger, S. (1996). How does your engine run? Albuquerque, NM: Therapy Works.
Melissa Keller Intervention in School and Clinic, Vol. 37, No. 1, September 2001 (pp. 9-12)
Easy Ways to Make Handwriting Instruction Multisensory
Goodbye to boring handwriting drills. Hello to fun and achievement for all!
Multisensory teaching strategies will help engage all of your students’ senses in a fun, interactive way. This approach creates a dynamic classroom environment where all children succeed, regardless of learning style or background.
Here are some strategies for creating dynamic classrooms and taking advantage of students’ natural inclinations:
Visual
Use large step-by-step visual directions to teach letter formation.
Demonstrate at the board or easel using large arm movements and props so students can see easily and follow along.
Use large, clear illustrations that promote left-to-right directionality.
Tactile
Use Wet–Dry–Try (see video) activities on a slate or blackboard for repetition and fun without boredom.
Provide opportunities for finger tracing and coloring.
Encourage building activities that teach letter formation and promote motor skill development.
Auditory
Use consistent, child-friendly language for memorable lessons.
Incorporate music and different voices to engage students and teach various language arts skills including rhyme, letters and numbers, words, sentences, and more.
Play Mystery Letter games with your class to delay auditory letter cues and break bad habits.
Kinesthetic
Incorporate music and movement to teach letter formation, social skills, and body awareness and to help children develop motor skills and coordination.
Use multisensory instruction with any letter, word, or sentence lesson and watch your classroom come alive. The hands-on approach is also great for learning cursive connections, size, and placement. See our hands-on products.
It’s easy to give fun, memorable handwriting lessons in just minutes per session. It’s okay to sing, be silly, and create your own activities. The important thing is to captivate your students and encourage them to participate. You will be delighted with how quickly and easily they learn.
Classroom Tip:
The Hand Activity
(Taken from the Kindergarten Teacher’s Guide)
Beginning printers are still figuring out letter size. They are still learning the difference between capital and lowercase letters. You see this when they write “cows” like this: “cOwS” or “Jacob” like this “JaCOb.” You see that when they float a descending letter like "g" or "y" or "p."
You can help them. Here is a delightful hand activity for teaching correct size and placement of capitals and lowercase letters. This is fun for a child or a whole class. It captures their attention and gets them moving. As you use the activity you can see them mastering letter size and placement!
Directions for Letter Activity:
Point to the Wall Chart to show the letter (Any letter – Aa, Dd, Gg for example)
Children hold up the right hand for the lowercase
Make a fisted hand for small letters (a, c , e, I, m, n, o, r, s, u, v, w, x, z)
Point the index finger up for tall letters (b, d, f, h, k, l, t)
Point the thumb down for descending letters (g, j, y, p, q)
Directions for Word Activity: (Any word - dog, ship, game, etc.)
Show a lowercase word on the board or in a book.
Read the letters in the word together from left to right.
Use one hand to show the hand position for each letter as it’s named.
Note: Don’t use this activity for children learning sign language because it may create confusion.
John Murray, a pediatric occupational therapist, shows a 52 second routine that can be used both in the classroom and at home to warm up the muscles used when writing. Well worth the time and effort!
Goodbye to boring handwriting drills. Hello to fun and achievement for all!
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